Peter concludes this letter by commending Silvanus for carrying his letter to his readers. He testifies that its contents are about God’s grace in which his readers are to stand firm. Greetings are given and exhorted as the letter ends with a prayer for peace among believers.
1 Peter 5:12-141 Peter 5:12-14 commentary concludes the letter with a salutation beginning: Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! (v. 12).
The term Through Silvanus could mean Silvanus was the scribe for the letter or that he delivered the letter, or both. Some see the name Silvanus as referring to Silas, as is likely in other letters, such as 1 and 2nd Thessalonians. However, it could be someone else. Silvanus is described by Peter as our faithful brother (for so I regard him), meaning Peter trusted him because he had proved himself reliable.
Peter says I have written to you briefly, implying that Peter is the author of this five-chapter letter, which he considers short. In this letter, Peter is both exhorting, meaning to urge strongly (1 Peter 2:111 Peter 2:11 commentary, 5:15:1 commentary), and testifying, meaning to affirm that his letter is true (a word used only here in the New Testament).
Peter is testifying that this, with this referring to the contents of this letter. What Peter has written is the true grace of God, meaning that this is the real and genuine grace of God. God’s true favor is to allow His people to endure difficulties, such as unjust persecution, that they might prove faithful and gain the grace or favor of God’s rewards for those who live as faithful witnesses (1 Peter 1:41 Peter 1:4 commentary, 5:45:4 commentary, 66 commentary, 2 Timothy 2:122 Timothy 2:12 commentary, commentaryRevelation 3:21Revelation 3:21 commentary). It is those who stand firm in this promise who will benefit from this promise (Hebrews 11:6Hebrews 11:6 commentary). This is true and other perspectives are false.
The Greek word “charis” is translated as grace. “Charis” refers to favor, as in Luke 2:51Luke 2:51 commentary which says Jesus grew in favor (“charis”) with God and man. In this case we are speaking of God’s favor. God grants His favor, rewarding those who follow Him.
The true grace of God refers to what has come before in the letter. The main point Peter has made is that suffering as Jesus suffered is something believers should both expect and embrace because it leads to great reward, both now as well as in the age to come. This is true. Peter places his full apostolic authority behind this assertion. He wrote this letter to advance this understanding. He desires believers to choose perspectives that are true while resisting the false perspectives constantly and deceivingly advanced by Satan (1 Peter 5:8-91 Peter 5:8-9 commentary).
What Peter is exhorting his readers to do is stand firm, meaning to remain stable and hold one’s ground (Ephesians 6:14Ephesians 6:14 commentary). They are to stand their ground in it, referring to the grace of God (Romans 5:2Romans 5:2 commentary). This means choosing a perspective that enduring suffering and rejection from the world for living as a faithful witness will lead to great reward, and will be worth it.
What Peter desires from his readers is for them to experience God’s all-sufficient grace to endure every kind of unjust suffering they encounter. He wants them to choose to believe a perspective that they will in due time, God’s time, benefit from the glorious reward God promises to those who endure as faithful witnesses (1 Peter 1:41 Peter 1:4 commentary, 5:45:4 commentary, 66 commentary, 1 Corinthians 3:11-151 Corinthians 3:11-15 commentary, commentary2 Corinthians 5:102 Corinthians 5:10 commentary, 12:9-1012:9-10 commentary).
Enduring suffering for living as a faithful witness for Christ makes life on earth count for eternity; those who endure will receive from the Lord their eternal rewards for successfully enduring suffering for Christ (2 Timothy 2:122 Timothy 2:12 commentary, commentaryRevelation 3:21Revelation 3:21 commentary). This is a perspective that is true. But it is a perspective that must be chosen and held onto in order to be effective.
Paul closes this letter by sending personal greetings from two people who are close to him, She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark (v. 13). We are not told who these two people are.
The pronoun, she, might refer to the church in Rome from where Peter composed his letter. It could also be that she refers to Peter’s wife. This might be more likely since another person mentioned is named: Mark (1 Peter 5:131 Peter 5:13 commentary). Babylon is most likely a symbolic description of Rome where Peter lived the last years of his life.
Babylon has its root name from Babel. It was at Babel that humans defied God’s command to scatter and fill the earth (Genesis 9:1Genesis 9:1 commentary, 11:411:4 commentary). The scripture uses the image of Babylon to represent the evil world system that stands opposed to God (Revelation 18:10-13Revelation 18:10-13 commentary). Rome is referred to in scripture as an extension of that evil world system.
For example, in Revelation 2:13Revelation 2:13 commentary, commentary the capital of the Roman province of Asia is said to house “Satan’s throne.” Also, in Daniel 2:42-25Daniel 2:42-25 commentary, commentary the statue in the dream interpreted by Daniel has legs of iron and clay that represent Rome. It is in the days of this kingdom that the kingdom of God will be established and destroy the Roman kingdom, which again paints a picture that the Roman era is set up in basic opposition to God.
The words chosen together with you is a translation of a single Greek word used only by Peter. This word echoes back to the kind of people that Peter addresses in the beginning of this letter: “those chosen according to the foreknowledge of God” (1 Peter 1:1-21 Peter 1:1-2 commentary). In the expression, with you, the pronoun you (plural) refers to the people to whom this letter is written. That the recipients of the letter are all chosen underscores that the letter is addressed entirely to believers.
Assuming she represents Peter’s wife, it would seem fitting that she sends you greetings because she would have many friends among the chosen people to whom Peter wrote. They probably knew one another while living in Jerusalem, as part of the group of Jews who came to believe in Jesus. Then they were dispersed throughout the Roman Empire due to persecution (1 Peter 1:11 Peter 1:1 commentary).
Not only does Peter’s wife (presumably) send greetings, but also Peter writes, and so does my son, Mark. If Peter’s wife sends greetings, it makes sense that Mark could possibly refer to his biological son. However, it seems more likely that Mark is referred to as a spiritual son of Peter, and is the disciple named John Mark whom Peter knew quite well (Acts 12:12Acts 12:12 commentary, 2525 commentary, 15:3715:37 commentary, 3939 commentary, Colossians 4:10Colossians 4:10 commentary, commentary2 Timothy 4:112 Timothy 4:11 commentary).
Church tradition holds that John Mark wrote the Gospel of Mark largely based on Peter’s testimony. This makes the Gospel of Mark essentially Peter’s gospel, and shows the intimate relationship between Peter and John Mark.
As his letter comes to an end, Peter challenges his readers to Greet one another with a kiss of love (v. 14). Such a physical expression of love was common in eastern culture, and is still widely practiced today. The admonition appears regularly in the New Testament, often referred to as a “holy kiss” (Romans 16:16Romans 16:16 commentary, commentary1 Corinthians 16:201 Corinthians 16:20 commentary, commentary2 Corinthians 13:122 Corinthians 13:12 commentary, commentary1 Thessalonians 5:261 Thessalonians 5:26 commentary).
By encouraging the greeting of a kiss of love Peter infers that the exhortations in this letter are to be engaged with as a team; getting through difficulty is something believers are supposed to do together. And the thing that knits them all together is agape love, the love of choice. Choosing to love one another is what binds them together. As each one contributes their gifts, the entire group gains strength (Hebrews 10:24Hebrews 10:24 commentary, commentaryEphesians 5:2Ephesians 5:2 commentary, commentaryColossians 3:14Colossians 3:14 commentary).
Finally, Peter officially ends his letter with a prayer for peace, Peace be to you all who are in Christ (v. 14).
The Old Testament elevates the concept of peace with the Hebrew word “Salom” which refers to things working in harmony according to God’s design. “Salom” often refers to a specific instance of prosperity, harmony, or security:
Genesis 34:21Genesis 34:21 commentary and commentary1 Kings 5:121 Kings 5:12 commentary speak of a state of social harmony/not being at war.
Genesis 43:27Genesis 43:27 commentary and commentaryExodus 18:7Exodus 18:7 commentary translates “Salom” as “welfare” and speaks of prosperity.
This idea of “Salom” would be familiar to this Jewish group of believers in Jesus as their Messiah. “Salom”/peace being all things working according to God’s design carries over to the New Testament. We see in the New Testament where peace includes the ideas of harmony in personal relationships (Ephesians 4:3Ephesians 4:3 commentary, commentaryRomans 14:19Romans 14:19 commentary), a state of wellbeing (Luke 8:48Luke 8:48 commentary), part of a greeting (Romans 1:7Romans 1:7 commentary, commentary1 Corinthians 1:21 Corinthians 1:2 commentary, commentary1 Peter 1:21 Peter 1:2 commentary, commentary2 Peter 1:22 Peter 1:2 commentary), peace with God in terms of a relationship with God (Romans 5:1Romans 5:1 commentary), and peace of God which is an inner tranquility of the soul (John 14:27John 14:27 commentary, commentaryPhilippians 4:7Philippians 4:7 commentary).
In this context, peace refers to both a parting farewell wish for the readers to experience harmony in their relationship to their persecutors and the inner tranquility that would stabilize their souls while suffering.
Peter limits his prayer of peace to all of you in Christ, meaning the individuals who had believed in Christ and now have a spiritual position “in Christ” (see Ephesians 1:3-7Ephesians 1:3-7 commentary where the believer’s spiritual position “in Christ” is mentioned four times). In concluding this way, Peter reminds his Christian readers, who are experiencing trials and sufferings, that their position and destiny “in Christ” are secure!
In this letter, Peter presents a perspective that suffering resistance and rejection from the world is a natural state of affairs; after all, Satan is the current ruler of this world. But Peter has also presented another perspective that is true: Jesus has conquered sin and death, and in due time will exalt all who humble themselves under God’s mighty hand (1 Peter 5:61 Peter 5:6 commentary).
Thus, we can cast our worries upon Him, because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:71 Peter 5:7 commentary). God desires to restore us to the glory for which He originally designed us, to reign as servant leaders, in harmony with God and His creation. He will reward all who submit to Him by submitting to others on this earth (government, employers, spouses, church elders, one another), and will restore them to His design. After we suffer for a time on this earth, we can be established into the “eternal glory in Christ” by the “God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:101 Peter 5:10 commentary).
Adopting the perspective Peter presents in 1 Peter allows us the full benefit of gaining the experience he gained while walking with Jesus. He saw Jesus suffer, and be glorified (at the Mount of Transfiguration, as well as through the resurrection). He also fell victim to believing a false perspective from Satan. Peter endured suffering and willingly died as a martyr, proving that he adopted and lived out the perspective he shares with us in this letter. We can gain life through this timeless advice, given to us by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter.
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1 Peter 5:12-14 meaning
1 Peter 5:12-141 Peter 5:12-14 commentary concludes the letter with a salutation beginning: Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! (v. 12).
The term Through Silvanus could mean Silvanus was the scribe for the letter or that he delivered the letter, or both. Some see the name Silvanus as referring to Silas, as is likely in other letters, such as 1 and 2nd Thessalonians. However, it could be someone else. Silvanus is described by Peter as our faithful brother (for so I regard him), meaning Peter trusted him because he had proved himself reliable.
Peter says I have written to you briefly, implying that Peter is the author of this five-chapter letter, which he considers short. In this letter, Peter is both exhorting, meaning to urge strongly (1 Peter 2:111 Peter 2:11 commentary, 5:15:1 commentary), and testifying, meaning to affirm that his letter is true (a word used only here in the New Testament).
Peter is testifying that this, with this referring to the contents of this letter. What Peter has written is the true grace of God, meaning that this is the real and genuine grace of God. God’s true favor is to allow His people to endure difficulties, such as unjust persecution, that they might prove faithful and gain the grace or favor of God’s rewards for those who live as faithful witnesses (1 Peter 1:41 Peter 1:4 commentary, 5:45:4 commentary, 66 commentary, 2 Timothy 2:122 Timothy 2:12 commentary, commentary Revelation 3:21Revelation 3:21 commentary). It is those who stand firm in this promise who will benefit from this promise (Hebrews 11:6Hebrews 11:6 commentary). This is true and other perspectives are false.
The Greek word “charis” is translated as grace. “Charis” refers to favor, as in Luke 2:51Luke 2:51 commentary which says Jesus grew in favor (“charis”) with God and man. In this case we are speaking of God’s favor. God grants His favor, rewarding those who follow Him.
The true grace of God refers to what has come before in the letter. The main point Peter has made is that suffering as Jesus suffered is something believers should both expect and embrace because it leads to great reward, both now as well as in the age to come. This is true. Peter places his full apostolic authority behind this assertion. He wrote this letter to advance this understanding. He desires believers to choose perspectives that are true while resisting the false perspectives constantly and deceivingly advanced by Satan (1 Peter 5:8-91 Peter 5:8-9 commentary).
What Peter is exhorting his readers to do is stand firm, meaning to remain stable and hold one’s ground (Ephesians 6:14Ephesians 6:14 commentary). They are to stand their ground in it, referring to the grace of God (Romans 5:2Romans 5:2 commentary). This means choosing a perspective that enduring suffering and rejection from the world for living as a faithful witness will lead to great reward, and will be worth it.
What Peter desires from his readers is for them to experience God’s all-sufficient grace to endure every kind of unjust suffering they encounter. He wants them to choose to believe a perspective that they will in due time, God’s time, benefit from the glorious reward God promises to those who endure as faithful witnesses (1 Peter 1:41 Peter 1:4 commentary, 5:45:4 commentary, 66 commentary, 1 Corinthians 3:11-151 Corinthians 3:11-15 commentary, commentary 2 Corinthians 5:102 Corinthians 5:10 commentary, 12:9-1012:9-10 commentary).
Enduring suffering for living as a faithful witness for Christ makes life on earth count for eternity; those who endure will receive from the Lord their eternal rewards for successfully enduring suffering for Christ (2 Timothy 2:122 Timothy 2:12 commentary, commentary Revelation 3:21Revelation 3:21 commentary). This is a perspective that is true. But it is a perspective that must be chosen and held onto in order to be effective.
Paul closes this letter by sending personal greetings from two people who are close to him, She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark (v. 13). We are not told who these two people are.
The pronoun, she, might refer to the church in Rome from where Peter composed his letter. It could also be that she refers to Peter’s wife. This might be more likely since another person mentioned is named: Mark (1 Peter 5:131 Peter 5:13 commentary). Babylon is most likely a symbolic description of Rome where Peter lived the last years of his life.
Babylon has its root name from Babel. It was at Babel that humans defied God’s command to scatter and fill the earth (Genesis 9:1Genesis 9:1 commentary, 11:411:4 commentary). The scripture uses the image of Babylon to represent the evil world system that stands opposed to God (Revelation 18:10-13Revelation 18:10-13 commentary). Rome is referred to in scripture as an extension of that evil world system.
For example, in Revelation 2:13Revelation 2:13 commentary, commentary the capital of the Roman province of Asia is said to house “Satan’s throne.” Also, in Daniel 2:42-25Daniel 2:42-25 commentary, commentary the statue in the dream interpreted by Daniel has legs of iron and clay that represent Rome. It is in the days of this kingdom that the kingdom of God will be established and destroy the Roman kingdom, which again paints a picture that the Roman era is set up in basic opposition to God.
The words chosen together with you is a translation of a single Greek word used only by Peter. This word echoes back to the kind of people that Peter addresses in the beginning of this letter: “those chosen according to the foreknowledge of God” (1 Peter 1:1-21 Peter 1:1-2 commentary). In the expression, with you, the pronoun you (plural) refers to the people to whom this letter is written. That the recipients of the letter are all chosen underscores that the letter is addressed entirely to believers.
Assuming she represents Peter’s wife, it would seem fitting that she sends you greetings because she would have many friends among the chosen people to whom Peter wrote. They probably knew one another while living in Jerusalem, as part of the group of Jews who came to believe in Jesus. Then they were dispersed throughout the Roman Empire due to persecution (1 Peter 1:11 Peter 1:1 commentary).
Not only does Peter’s wife (presumably) send greetings, but also Peter writes, and so does my son, Mark. If Peter’s wife sends greetings, it makes sense that Mark could possibly refer to his biological son. However, it seems more likely that Mark is referred to as a spiritual son of Peter, and is the disciple named John Mark whom Peter knew quite well (Acts 12:12Acts 12:12 commentary, 2525 commentary, 15:3715:37 commentary, 3939 commentary, Colossians 4:10Colossians 4:10 commentary, commentary 2 Timothy 4:112 Timothy 4:11 commentary).
Church tradition holds that John Mark wrote the Gospel of Mark largely based on Peter’s testimony. This makes the Gospel of Mark essentially Peter’s gospel, and shows the intimate relationship between Peter and John Mark.
As his letter comes to an end, Peter challenges his readers to Greet one another with a kiss of love (v. 14). Such a physical expression of love was common in eastern culture, and is still widely practiced today. The admonition appears regularly in the New Testament, often referred to as a “holy kiss” (Romans 16:16Romans 16:16 commentary, commentary 1 Corinthians 16:201 Corinthians 16:20 commentary, commentary 2 Corinthians 13:122 Corinthians 13:12 commentary, commentary 1 Thessalonians 5:261 Thessalonians 5:26 commentary).
By encouraging the greeting of a kiss of love Peter infers that the exhortations in this letter are to be engaged with as a team; getting through difficulty is something believers are supposed to do together. And the thing that knits them all together is agape love, the love of choice. Choosing to love one another is what binds them together. As each one contributes their gifts, the entire group gains strength (Hebrews 10:24Hebrews 10:24 commentary, commentary Ephesians 5:2Ephesians 5:2 commentary, commentary Colossians 3:14Colossians 3:14 commentary).
Finally, Peter officially ends his letter with a prayer for peace, Peace be to you all who are in Christ (v. 14).
The Old Testament elevates the concept of peace with the Hebrew word “Salom” which refers to things working in harmony according to God’s design. “Salom” often refers to a specific instance of prosperity, harmony, or security:
This idea of “Salom” would be familiar to this Jewish group of believers in Jesus as their Messiah. “Salom”/peace being all things working according to God’s design carries over to the New Testament. We see in the New Testament where peace includes the ideas of harmony in personal relationships (Ephesians 4:3Ephesians 4:3 commentary, commentary Romans 14:19Romans 14:19 commentary), a state of wellbeing (Luke 8:48Luke 8:48 commentary), part of a greeting (Romans 1:7Romans 1:7 commentary, commentary 1 Corinthians 1:21 Corinthians 1:2 commentary, commentary 1 Peter 1:21 Peter 1:2 commentary, commentary 2 Peter 1:22 Peter 1:2 commentary), peace with God in terms of a relationship with God (Romans 5:1Romans 5:1 commentary), and peace of God which is an inner tranquility of the soul (John 14:27John 14:27 commentary, commentary Philippians 4:7Philippians 4:7 commentary).
In this context, peace refers to both a parting farewell wish for the readers to experience harmony in their relationship to their persecutors and the inner tranquility that would stabilize their souls while suffering.
Peter limits his prayer of peace to all of you in Christ, meaning the individuals who had believed in Christ and now have a spiritual position “in Christ” (see Ephesians 1:3-7Ephesians 1:3-7 commentary where the believer’s spiritual position “in Christ” is mentioned four times). In concluding this way, Peter reminds his Christian readers, who are experiencing trials and sufferings, that their position and destiny
“in Christ” are secure!
In this letter, Peter presents a perspective that suffering resistance and rejection from the world is a natural state of affairs; after all, Satan is the current ruler of this world. But Peter has also presented another perspective that is true: Jesus has conquered sin and death, and in due time will exalt all who humble themselves under God’s mighty hand (1 Peter 5:61 Peter 5:6 commentary).
Thus, we can cast our worries upon Him, because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:71 Peter 5:7 commentary). God desires to restore us to the glory for which He originally designed us, to reign as servant leaders, in harmony with God and His creation. He will reward all who submit to Him by submitting to others on this earth (government, employers, spouses, church elders, one another), and will restore them to His design. After we suffer for a time on this earth, we can be established into the “eternal glory in Christ” by the “God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:101 Peter 5:10 commentary).
Adopting the perspective Peter presents in 1 Peter allows us the full benefit of gaining the experience he gained while walking with Jesus. He saw Jesus suffer, and be glorified (at the Mount of Transfiguration, as well as through the resurrection). He also fell victim to believing a false perspective from Satan. Peter endured suffering and willingly died as a martyr, proving that he adopted and lived out the perspective he shares with us in this letter. We can gain life through this timeless advice, given to us by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter.